Apple Quietly Raises Prices of Mac Mini Models in Multiple Countries

[notjustjay]

He'd be right too.

You either help pay a contribution towards the extra cost of doing internationally, or you live without the best products in the world.

Well, there's two separate issues here -- Apple's high pricing in general (which people love to argue about), and the relative costs of products between countries, which is everyone, not just Apple.

As a Canadian I am no stranger to the higher costs of goods here. And in the last decade or so I think the costs are reasonable and fair. My litmus test is "how much would I save if I went to the US myself and bought it there". Once I add travel or shipping costs, and state taxes, the savings are usually inconsequential.

10 years ago it was different. The Canadian dollar was worth 65 cents on the US dollar so a product priced at $2000 in the US was closer to $3000 here. Except that the Canadian retail pricing would often be closer to $3499. Or worse. I remember buying a Sony VX2000 semi-pro camcorder. Retail in Canada was $4500. I bought it in the US for $2300. Saved a ton.

 

[Casiotone]

If this was a more consistent bump, I would wonder if perhaps they are upping prices before a refresh so they can charge more but say that the price is "staying the same" when they announce the refresh.

If Apple wanted to release Haswell based Mac minis, they would've done it at the same time as the iMacs.

To me this price hike means no new Mac minis in 2013, which would not be that surprising, as the Mac minis often had a longer update cycle as other Macs. (I think the longest time between refreshes was 19 months).

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Well, there's two separate issues here -- Apple's high pricing in general (which people love to argue about), and the relative costs of products between countries, which is everyone, not just Apple.

As a Canadian I am no stranger to the higher costs of goods here. And in the last decade or so I think the costs are reasonable and fair. My litmus test is "how much would I save if I went to the US myself and bought it there". Once I add travel or shipping costs, and state taxes, the savings are usually inconsequential.

10 years ago it was different. The Canadian dollar was worth 65 cents on the US dollar so a product priced at $2000 in the US was closer to $3000 here. Except that the Canadian retail pricing would often be closer to $3499. Or worse. I remember buying a Sony VX2000 semi-pro camcorder. Retail in Canada was $4500. I bought it in the US for $2300. Saved a ton.

I remember how the original iPod was $599(!) CND.

 

[mr.steevo]

If it did, prices abroad would fall, not rise.
:

If my dollar fell in value then prices from Apple would rise. There is more than one dollar currency. Zimbabwe's dollar is the most dramatic of them all.

 

[50548]

Prehaps this is caused by Apple shifting Mac Mini production to the US?

It's nothing to do with that - it's simply that Apple bumps the prices of its latest shipped inventory in accordance with the most up-to-date exchange rate at the time.

In the case of Brazil, the chronically-high prices are mainly due to import taxes, plus a recent (slight) devaluation of the BRL vis-à-vis the USD...no surprises there.

 

[Earendil]

We pay more in the UK and EU because of local tax law ..

With a number of products even if you take into account VAT and US-State tax when comparing products, we still end up paying a significant premium.

That's because it's effected by more than just VAT. Local governments require different warranty programs that cost more/less money, local laws or culture increase the frequency/cost of lawsuits, local advertising will cost a different amount too.

The thing about business is that they will break the cost of doing business down into subgroups instead of looking at it "worldwide" not unlike a local chain store taking a hard look at a store that isn't making money, even if all stores combined make money. Apple is large enough, smart enough, and been doing business long enough to have a good idea what it costs to do business in areas such as the UK. Even the cost of leasing floor space for an Apple building is going to be built in.

Now, there might be an element of knowing that UK citizens are able/willing to pay higher prices than other regions, but if that is the case it's a much smaller dollar amount that simply looking at tax differences.

 

[dollystereo]

There was a thread not long ago, about how cheap the mac mini was.
Not anymore!

 

[godrifle]

Nah, if it was Tim, he'd say: "We at Apple believe in producing the best products in the world. We think cost is second to the experience and the joy you get when you use our products, and we think once you get your hands on one, you'll agree."

Close. You're missing a few "incredible"s and "amazing"s and perhaps one "revolutionary."

 

[psymac]

Wow, lots of refurb Mac minis in the Apple store, maybe refresh soon!

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini

 

[pgiguere1]

I don't think prices would generally just up and change in the middle of the night. Instead what would happen is the previous model of some product would be $499 and Apple would announce the new version of the product and say "It is priced at just $549 and will be available today". Bam, price increase announced.

Actually, that's probably not even true -- what would happen is that Apple would announce the product pricing in US dollars and then we would go to our own country's Apple Stores and discover whatever price they had assigned in our own currency. We would then discover that it used to be priced at $499 and now is $549, and say "oh well, guess the price went up a bit."

So, international pricing should only change when the US pricing changes? What about the fact that international currency's value fluctuates between product cycles?

 

[The Mercurian]

Why is this not a front page story when a fluff piece about Apple getting positive reviews on the new iphones is there ?

This news affects people alot more than tech journalist reviews do

 

[notjustjay]

So, international pricing should only change when the US pricing changes? What about the fact that international currency's value fluctuates between product cycles?

That's what this whole thread is about. In the past (that we've noticed), they generally adjusted international pricing during product launches. Quietly.

Today's "out of the blue" adjustment is exactly what you're referring to, an adjustment solely (presumably) to reflect currency valuation.

Why is this not a front page story when a fluff piece about Apple getting positive reviews on the new iphones is there ?

This news affects people alot more than tech journalist reviews do

What, that international currencies fluctuate against the US dollar? I don't think that's news.

 

[Yamcha]

Luckily the Mac Mini price is the same in Canada. But that really sucks for other people.

The Mac Mini is supposed to be targeted towards the entry level, and the price is what makes it a good buy.

It has to be one my favourite line of Apple Computers, the only reason I didn't settle for one this time is because of the GPU, hopefully we see an upgrade soon though..

 

[Juliobds]

I know what this is... To me this is indication of an update in mid october for the mac minis. Whoever buys a mini now will only receive it after they are unveiled and the new model will come in the box. This is something that generally happens with Apple. Although I do have to agree that bumping the price of a model for "no reason" is a bit too weird.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

I'm hoping this means a refresh is fairly imminent. Then I'll just need to see the Geekbench scores to determine which model I want before ordering.

No, no, no and no!

Geekbench is a toy, compared to serious benchmarks. Geekbench does not measure OpenGL and OpenCL performance. The x264 encoder (for example in HandBrake) is up to 2x faster on the Haswell platform compared to the Ivy Bridge platform. Geekbench does not show this, because Geekbench is not a video encoder.

If you know the processor id, you can compare two or more processors on:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/laptop.html

 

[jonnysods]

I'm going to wait it out. I'll get the new version providing the price doesn't rise and the graphics stays discrete. I would have bought one already at the discounted prices the yanks were getting at Best Buy.

I'm hoping flash price decreases will ease the cost. And I always like second gen as they iron out any bugs. I'm sure they will have a discrete GPU.

 

[Moonjumper]

Apple usually changes prices and currency adjustments when it refreshes a model. Making currency adjustments in the same timeframe as other models are being refreshed makes me worry that they are going to bypass Haswell in the Mini.

 

[mvmanolov]

Apple usually changes prices and currency adjustments when it refreshes a model. Making currency adjustments in the same timeframe as other models are being refreshed makes me worry that they are going to bypass Haswell in the Mini.

I tend to agree with you on the ominous elements of this, though i do not think that they will bypass Haswell altogether i do think it may be an indication that the mini wont see an update until sometime next year (Feb/Mar).

 

[The Mercurian]

What, that international currencies fluctuate against the US dollar? I don't think that's news.

No - that the price is going up for some people.

 

[3282868]

Close. You're missing a few "incredible"s and "amazing"s and perhaps one "revolutionary."

and "magical", don't forget that one.

 

[iZac]

Sounds stupid, but raising the price of a current model is better PR than raising the price of a new one.

No one apart from a subset of nerds are following price fluctuations, but if they new model is released to any fanfare (if the Mac Pro is THAT small, imagine the mini could be nearer the size of an Apple TV!), then people will be more critical of a price increase, but right now, nobody is watching.

Of course this is often done because of market fluctuations or domestic issues (tax, logistics etc) when it's localised to a few countries.

 

[vmachiel]

We pay more in the UK and EU because of local tax law ..

But that tax isn't 35% right?

 

[octatonic]

I'm really on edge if Apple is going to do this to the new rMBP too. I'm currently holding out until the next gen but if they're going to raise the prices too....

... You will still buy one.

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But that tax isn't 35% right?

20% plus import duty plus a less than favourable exchange rate.
It isn't far off.

 

[Count Blah]

These tiny price rises are entirely reasonable. Consumers wont care they shouldn't even be reported tbh.

And you insane? If anything the prices should be decreasing. The price of the components have decreased since the time of this version of the mini's launch. The R&D expenditures were already baked into the price, and have been recouped LONG before now. This is crazy.

 

[dumastudetto]

And you insane? If anything the prices should be decreasing. The price of the components have decreased since the time of this version of the mini's launch. The R&D expenditures were already baked into the price, and have been recouped LONG before now. This is crazy.

If it's crazy consumers won't pay and the prices will have to fall. I suspect people will accept they are reasonable increases and continue to purchase the best products that only Apple can make. I could be wrong though, we'll see how it plays out.

 

[weckart]

... You will still buy one.

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20% plus import duty plus a less than favourable exchange rate.
It isn't far off.

Import duty = 0%, so no, it's nowhere close. Currencies haven't shifted much, either.